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Women's Basketball Signs Two For 2010-11 Season

CORVALLIS, Ore. - Oregon State women's basketball head coach LaVonda Wagner announced Wednesday that two high school student-athletes have signed National Letters Of Intent to join the Beavers for the 2010-11 season.

Guard Classye James from Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, Calif., and combo guard Alyssa Martin from Jesuit High School in Portland signed their letters Wednesday and officially became Beavers.

James, a 5-foot-8 guard, signed her letter after leading Mitty to a 22-9 record in 2009 and a 9-3 West Catholic League mark while averaging 7 points, 2.1 assists, 4 rebounds and 3 steals per game. During her tenure, Mitty has a 71-22 record and won back-to-back CIF Division 2 State titles, in 2007 and 2008. Mitty has also won two Central Coast Section Championships and two Northern California titles.

James, who is the captain of Mitty's 2009-10 team, has earned two West Catholic All-League Player honors and is a two-time Mitty Best Defensive Player of the Year award winner. She is a McDonald's Top 50 Senior in the state of California (ESPN Rise Magazine). She is also a member of the AAU team, the San Jose Cagers, which competes nationally in the off-season.

Off the court, James has been an exemplary student, carrying a 3.3 cumulative GPA into her senior year. She has been a member of the Mitty Honor Roll from 2006-2009. She is a member of the African American Student Union and participated in an immersion trip to South Africa in June 2009. In addition, Classye has also volunteered her time in the community at the Palo Alto YMCA in the Child Care Department.

'Classye has a tremendous defensive presence on the floor and will be able to apply pressure to opposing guards, turning her defense into offense' Wagner said. 'She can also score off the dribble drive, has an excellent mid-range game, and has the ability to shoot the three-pointer. Her free throw line offense is also a great attribute to her strength at the guard spot.'

Martin, a 6-foot-0 combo guard, will join the Beavers after an outstanding career at Jesuit. Most recently, in 2008-09, she led Jesuit to a 23-5 record, Metro League Championship, and a fourth-place finish at the 2009 6A State Championship. She was a Metro League First-Team member and all-state honorable mention selection after averaging 14.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.7 steals per game. Martin made 46 percent of her shots from the field and 41 percent from beyond the three-point line.

She will also serve as a captain of the 2009-10 Jesuit team.

Martin participated in the 2009 End of the Trail Tournament (high school division) and earned MVP honors while finishing in second place. She is a member of the AAU Club, Clutch Players, and she has also played volleyball and ran track.

Martin has excelled as a student and volunteer in the community. She carried a 3.8 cumulative GPA into her senior year and is a member of the National Honor Society this year. Martin has been on the Jesuit Honor Roll since 2006. In addition, she has also donated her time to volunteer in the community as a volunteer coach/counselor for the Run It Back Youth Basketball Program Camps since 2007.

'Alyssa can play the point, shooting guard, and wing positions' Wagner said. 'Her court vision is excellent and that will create scoring opportunities for herself and her teammates. She will give opposing teams trouble because of her size on the perimeter. She is a big guard who will present matchup problems for the opposition. Alyssa has a great upside and has always been a Beaver at heart.'

Alyssa's father, Earl Martin, played at Oregon State for Ralph Miller.

Oregon State opens the regular season Friday when the Beavers take on the Big West's Cal Poly Mustangs at legendary Gill Coliseum. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. PT, and for fans who can't make it to the game, they can listen live on KTHH 990-AM in the Corvallis and on Beaver Nation Online (osubeavers.com).

Tickets are still available for the game. Reserved tickets for individual women's basketball games are $10, while general admission for adults is $7 and senior/youth is $5.

Single-game and season tickets are available by visiting osubeavers.com, calling 1-800-GO-BEAVS or by visiting the ticket office at Gill Coliseum.

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